Nella encounters the Majiji platoon
by Nella Siphron
Summary: A piece for contest with the prompt: 'What if your ocs were real? What if you met them' - This is the short adventure of Nella. Running into the keronians she herself had created and could not believe to be really standing before her. She does what little she can to help while getting to know them all over again, less as characters and more as real people, as friends.


Nella, a soft and quiet nerd, wakes in her natural habitat. The sun beaming bright through the blinds of her windows as she slowly rolls off the bed.

**Blat!** "Yeah I probably should have broken free of the blanket before leaving the bed." Nella sighed as she fought the blanket wrapped around her before rising from the floor. She glanced around the room and listened for any sound through the house. Only silence returned. "No kuma, I guess he left for work already. It is a double shift day. Whole place to myself then."

She equips her glasses before heading to the kitchen for a drink and quick breakfast of bread and eggs cooked in soy sauce. An everyday regimen started with catching up on a few internet clips and daily rounds on a mobile game or two.

Nearing noon she went out to water a small plant. The only one she didn't manage to kill after two weeks since planting. She was humming quietly to herself to not disturb the neighbors above her apartment as she gently thumbed through the leaves and check for any dying ones.

Her hand stilled at a soft sound, a rustling in a bush just past the porch. Nella thought it might be one of the dogs from a nearby building. She could hear a whimper and prayed it wasn't hurt. She walked quick but carefully towards the sound, hoping she wouldn't scare the poor puppy.

When she parted the leaves her heart stilled. Beneath the green was a small mass of pink. A lavender hat stained in parts and striped stockings. She knew this creature too well but to see it in person her mind froze. "Oh sweet burning muffins..."

The alien tadpole looked up surprised to have been discovered. She reached to her hat trying to trigger something but soon gave up. "Oh… I forgot I lost it again." She aimed her medic gun to the human with a nervous grip. "P-pekoponian! Surrender or I'll uh- I'll shoot!"

_It's just a pekoponian. She won't know it's only a medic gun for medicine. If I can intimidate her enough I can get away and find my squad. _"Give up now! I'm a recruit of an advanced alien race. I have training and technology beyond your understanding."

Nella rubbed her eyes before looking again. Her mind buzzed like an overworked hive over possible causes. "I mean I feel fine so I don't think I'm having a stroke or anything. Holy muffin cakes I am having one seriously vivid dream. Although I've never dreamt of my orikeros. Characters from the actual show sure, I'm nerd enough for that, but Jikoko?"

The small frog stiffened. _She knows my name?! Maybe it's coincidence._ "This isn't a dream. You're really facing a Keronian soldier! Submit or perish!"

"Oh this is a cute tactic for her. I should use this…. If I remember it later." Nella shrugged. "So where's Yasusu or the others?"

Jikoko's eyes widened. "How do you know our names?"

"This is all so cliché brain, even for me. I've had more interesting dreams than this." Nella knelt down and rested her chin in one hand with her elbow over her knee.

"Answer me or I will shoot!" Jikoko held her gun more firmly as her patience started to run low.

Nella was surprised by this action. _I don't think I've ever imagined her to get upset like that before._ "Your gun doesn't fire bullets though. It contains medicine and stuff."

Jikoko grit her teeth. "That may be, but I can dose you with an anesthetic strong enough to put down a space cerberus and then my friends can handle you!"

"You're different. You're not my Jikoko are you?" Nella's voice was a quiet hush. The Jikoko before her was showing new sides she hadn't cemented into her orikero design.

"Like I said I'm not some dream." Jikoko declared once more.

"There's no way you could be here otherwise." Nella furrowed her brow in confused frustration. Her knowledge to tell the difference between reality and dream fighting over the facts. She could feel all the small details of real life around her that she never could in a dream, yet Jikoko could never really exist; as far as she knew at least. "Maybe… if you are real… I can play along I guess until I either figure this out or wake up. You want to know how I know your name right?"

"Mmm." Jikoko nodded in affirmation.

"I made original characters for an anime I watched about keronian space frogs. I designed a Jikoko, Yasusu, Majiji, Tekiki, and Sukuku. There are a few others too but those are my main 5. My original set." Nella started to explain as a soft embarrassed blush colored her face. "I draw images and sometimes write short moments out like how you and Yasusu met-"

"Prove it. Prove to me you – created us. That it's all just art and not something shady." Jikoko lowered her gun slightly. "Tell me something only I would know."

Nella paused for a moment. The details only Jikoko knew that the others didn't weren't happy ones. Nella didn't make a post about it yet, waiting for the right setup and time to write it out properly. "When you were a kid, you had to live with your aunt and uncle because… because during a family outing you lost your mom and dad. Your uncle lost vision in one eye from the attack. You don't remember too much about it but the snake is vivid in all your memories. You still have nightmares and you never even told Ya-"

"Alright." Jikoko interrupted, shaking as she fought back tears. "I believe you. No one but my aunt, uncle, and I know about that."

Nella waited patiently while Jikoko wiped her eyes. The entire story saddened her and she was the one who thought up the whole thing.

"So you do art of us?" Jikoko asked moving away from the dark memories.

"My laptop is in my apartment if you want to see." Nella pointed over her shoulder. Jikoko agreed and followed cautiously inside as she stored her gun in a hidden dimensional storage. Nella's laptop was already opened on the bed, as she always left it. She quickly opened a few image files and turned the screen to her small guest.

Jikoko covered her mouth in surprise to the pictures of her and Yasusu. Sharing ice cream, napping in his arms, her face quickly burnt bright pink. "Y-you drew all of these?"

"Well yeah, but these are just the ones I finished. Although _these_ ones were done by other people. Commissions and gifts and such." Nella flicked open another folder and chuckled as Jikoko melted in embarrassment.

Jikoko sat on the bed and scrolled through a story Nella pulled open. Her eyes seemingly more sad even though she smiled. "Some of the pictures didn't actually happen but this… I remember this."

"The time he tried to leave you?" Nella asked.

"Yeah." Jikoko took a deep breath and sighed before smiling warmly. "It's a sad and happy memory for me."

"I get that kind of feeling when I wrote it. I cried during the middle but was so relieved and happy when I finally wrote out the end." Nella admitted. She almost wanted to hug Jikoko as an apology for the roller coaster she wrote her through.

"He kept apologizing for so long after that." Jikoko laughed.

"So you uh… really are here huh?" Nella chuckled unsure of herself.

"Yeah, but meeting someone who already somehow knew about us was not at all part of the plan." Jikoko answered.

"Why are you guys on earth? And where are the others? If I recall you're almost always with Yasu." asked Nella.

"We were being attacked and came here hoping we wouldn't be followed. But we were and I ended up getting separated from them. I hid in the bush when I thought I heard the attacker again and then you found me." Jikoko explained.

"Who attacked you?" Nella leaned closer with worry.

"A hebinian." Jikoko replied. "Mortal enemy of Keronians."

"Hebinian?" Nella repeated the foreign word.

"Snake aliens. Do you know about Vipers?" Jikoko inquired.

"Oh gotcha." Nella nodded. "Vipers are a run-on gag for the anime."

"Vipers are more common except this one wasn't a Viper. Vipers are a part of the race but more like a clan or huge family. There are others too. This one was a green snake." Jikoko stiffened slightly as she informed her new acquaintance.

"Huh, I never played with the idea of other snakes. That sounds cool though." Nella smiled. "Do they all have arm canons?"

"No." Jikoko answered with a laugh.

"Cool, not that I'm anti-arm canon. This just leaves more open creativity for possible characters." Nella waved defensively. "This is actually exciting. I can't believe Keron is real."

"Well yes and no." replied Jikoko.

"Wait what?" Nella asked.

"Keron doesn't actually exist in _this_ universe." Jikoko sat straight as she spoke. "Sukuku accidentally discovered how to slip through the barriers between each universe while studying an unidentified crystal on another planet. The first time was a uh… a bad trip."

"You mean the one with cyborg Yasusu? The one where you didn't um..." Nella swallowed the lump in her throat finding it impossible to finish her sentence with Jikoko right there with her. It was a story she had in the works for a long time, almost as long as she's even had her orikeros. She had never had it completely fleshed out but it was a sad one.

Jikoko didn't confirm but it wasn't needed without how she frowned. She forced herself to take a deep breath and forget it for now. "So yeah, real but not real. It's unusual that your planet in this universe does have stories about Keron and you managed to accurately re-create us."

"Well depending on how many universes there are, it would have been inevitable. I do agree that us meeting is like 1 in a centillion or something." Nella considered the odds. "I guess now that that's explained we should find the others soon before they get too far away. Do you have a communicator or phone or something?"

"It fried when we were attacked the second time." Jikoko frowned. "What do you mean by we?"

"I'm going to help." Nella answered easily as she started looking through her clean clothes and deciding an outfit.

"You …. are taking all of this really well now that I think of it. I thought Pekoponians were supposed to be paranoid and afraid of aliens." Jikoko watched Nella carefully. Sure she didn't sense anything to be suspicious of but it was odd.

"Are you kidding? I have been a longtime nerd for alien characters; Sgt frog platoon, Piccolo, Mona Lisa from tmnt… the list could go on." Nella chose a basic pair of jeans and a white shirt with images of classic painters wearing colored masks. "A bunch of people probably still shouldn't be trusted to meet aliens though. There are those who will still attack right when they even think they see one. I do believe most of us would just be curious and totally willing to meet life from other planets. Heck we've been searching space for so long to learn about other life. Also..."

Nella paused mulling over something before she continued. "Nerds like me… I guess have always kind of at least had the smallest of hopes that the stories we enjoy so much, are real somewhere in some way. I would be lying if I said I never had thoughts about maybe being saved from a kraang attack or training to use ki to fly or visit other planets. I don't ever let it get too big or nothing you know, I know to stay realistic and know it would never happen. It's embarrassing but it's nice to indulge in those thoughts sometimes."

"And now that I'm here… fulfilling that kind of daydream… You're just going to jump on the chance for adventure? It might be a lot more dangerous than you think." Jikoko didn't want to have to turn down help but she wasn't about to let anyone run into this unaware of the risks.

"It's more than that though." Nella smiled. "Even though you're not _my_ Jikoko, you're my sweet Jikoko. I would do anything to help."

"I would appreciate the help." Jikoko admitted.

"Settled then, now if you could wait in the other room while I change please? I don't want to be running around town in my pajamas." Nella laughed lightly.

It wasn't long before the two were stepping out onto the porch.

"Where did you actually lose the others?" Nella asked.

"Our ship crashed in some park over that way." Jikoko pointed to the left. "I might be able to find a spare communicator that isn't broken."

"Did it have a metal owl? Or was it like a baseball field?" Nella asked.

"The metal bird one." Jikoko answered unsure what an owl even was.

"Awesome blossom, I know where that is." Nella nodded. She started jogging down the street with Jikoko running close behind her. "Usually the place is empty but we'll have to be quick cause there are plenty of kids in this neighborhood and we shouldn't get them involved in an alien attack."

"Right." Jikoko agreed.

They rounded a corner to the park and found nothing out of place. "Wait I thought you said it was here."

"I was thrown away from the ship when we crashed, Sukuku may have placed an anti-barrier around it before they went after the Hebinian." Jikoko suggested. She approached the park and after scooping up a few rocks, tossed them around the center of the park. A couple of the rocks bounced off of something in the air. "There."

Nella stood beside Jikoko as the tadpole fiddled around until she toggled a switch. The ship was revealed in pieces and a few small fires still flickered. "Oh gods, that looks so bad."

"I'm sure Sukuku can fix it. I've seen him build better things from scratch… well you know." Jikoko explained before recalling who she was talking to. She started crawling into a tilted hatch. Nella only watched hoping to help but knew if she tried to climb in it she might knock something loose and wreck it further. She kept guard outside listening to clangs of metal shifting inside the ship.

At one point she heard a small explosion, smoke began to pour out the opening. "Ji?! Are you alright?!"

"Don't worry." Jikoko coughed as she climbed out of an opening in the top away from the smoke. "I found Sukuku's tracker but I might have tugged it from the console a little too hard and pulled a few wires out. They sparked and something triggered a small explosion."

Nella sighed as Jikoko hopped down from the roof of the ship.

"I couldn't find a comm but this should do just as good. I almost forgot about it. Sukuku built it after the first time we fell through the dimensional barrier." Jikoko clicked on the device and scanned for her teammates. She shook it once before it finally displayed a HUD. "Oh, looks like they aren't even all together. I might not be the only one lost."

Nella peered over the display. Two marks were together while the other two were separate from any other. "These two are staying in this area, they might be fighting the snake dude. These other two here and here are consistently moving in a line. I think they might just be searching."

"I should meet up with those two so we can have everyone before rejoining the fight." Jikoko suggested.

"Looks like they didn't get too far so this should be quite easy." Nella amped up for the search as she mentally aligned the locator to her memory of the area. She followed Jikoko as the tadpole lead with the locator. After a few rushed steps Jikoko had already run into a bench. Nella recalled how clumsy Jikoko was and picked her up into her arms. "Ok you lead I'll run."

"Oh wow this is high." Jikoko held tight to Nella's arms.

"Says the alien who flies through space high above the ground." Nella chuckled. "Also I'm not even that tall."

"You're twice my height and there's a difference when I'm surrounded by a well tested and secure spacecraft." Jikoko rebutted with a nervous lilt in her voice.

"Don't worry I won't drop you." Nella assured as she ran as carefully as she could without upsetting Jikoko.

They ran down a few streets as Jikoko pointed down each new turn, her teammate they were tracking kept moving in a frantic and strange pattern. As they made onto a new street they understood why.

"That's right! I'm not letting you off easy for trying eat me!" a small purple tadpole shouted as it rode on the back of a scared dog, using the collar as reins. "I will ride you into battle against that Hebinian!"

"Tekiki!" Jikoko shouted as Nella carried her closer.

"Hey Ji!" Tekiki smiled brightly from atop her new steed. "I was just about to tame this alien beast but it looks like you've already acquired your own pekoponian pet. I'm so very proud of you."

"Hi I'm Nella, I'm not a pet." Nella smiled as she knelt down to extend a hand and greet the tadpole.

Tekiki hoped down from the dog and shook hands. The dog hurriedly ran off behind the nearest house. "You better hide, I am not your snack!"

"What happened to your anti-barrier? You shouldn't have been spotted with it." Jikoko asked.

Tekiki gave a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her head. "I may have forgotten to use it after the crash and such."

"At least you're safe." said Nella. "Come on let's go find the others."

"It looks like whoever it is is flying. The mark is going through whole buildings." Jikoko centered onto the next moving teammate.

"Maybe they're barreling through the buildings and reigning total destruction." Tekiki grinned happily at the idea.

"None of us have that kind of strength." Jikoko explained.

"I don't know, we've all seen Yasusu lift some serious weights and Sukuku is anything but normal." Tekiki replied.

"Ahem. Anyway we should head that way." Jikoko gestured towards their next destination trying to keep them focused.

"Alright." Nella nodded as she began running.

Tekiki kept up behind. "So how did you come into this?"

"Oh well actually..." Nella began the explaination.

Jikoko led them down many turns and roads. Nella had even learned new back roads around her neighborhood before they started heading back towards the main part of town.

"So he wasn't always all silent and broody?" Tekiki inquired after hearing Nella's story.

"No but I don't think I should be the one to tell you these things. It should be from him." Nella replied.

"Well yeah but he hates talking about himself." Tekiki moaned in annoyance.

"After what he went through I don't blame him for being the way he is." said Nella.

"Guys! The mark is right here look around for-!" Jikoko was interrupted when a figure suddenly dropped down in front of them.

Nella froze when she spotted the pale blue keronian aiming a sword to her. His golden eyes were piercing into hers and she could feel the anger he held towards her. _Ok so HE is really different from the Yasusu I made._

"Pekoponian." Yasusu's voice was soft and clear but held a frightening weight to them. "Release Jikoko and I promise you no harm but one wrong move and I will not hesitate to eliminate you."

"I totally believe you. I'm going to set her down now." Nella responded as calm as she could. She trusted Yasusu knowing who he was but also knew he would do anything for Jikoko. When push came to shove he could more than shove. She slowly knelt down and set Jikoko carefully to her feet.

"Yasusu, it's fine. She's helping me." Jikoko ran over to Yasusu and wrapped her arms around him.

Yasusu returned the hug as he lowered his blade. He glanced over Jikoko for any wounds. "I couldn't find you after the crash are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No I'm fine I promise." Jikoko smiled to assure him. She turned to gesture at Nella. "This is Nella. She found me hiding under a bush and wanted to help me find everyone. She uh… also knows a lot about us, but she's kind."

"An ally then. I apologize for threatening you." Yasusu sheathed his sword and nodded at Nella.

"It's nothing. I understand you were worried about Jikoko." Nella smiled already having forgiven him.

"You have no idea." Tekiki joked from the side recalling everything she had witnessed between Jikoko and Yasusu.

"Actually I have every idea but the sentiment carries." Nella laughed.

"We need to rejoin Majiji and Sukuku. They must be fighting the Hebinian based on the locators patterns." Jikoko held up the display and zoomed in to the other two markers.

"I'll head in first since I have a wing pack." Yasusu declared.

"Lucky. The rest of us will catch up on foot I guess." Tekiki groaned.

"Do you know how to fight?" Yasusu turned to Nella.

"I mean I'm not really trained to fight but-" Nella started.

"Then stay to the side. You're a civilian and we shouldn't put you to any risk." Yasusu spoke firmly before bursting to the air and charging out of sight.

"You're still going to fight right?" Tekiki asked with a devious grin.

"Of course. I came to help so I'm gonna help." Nella smiled as she tightened her ponytail. "Besides if I recall the vipers were shorter than middle school humans in the anime and I may not be tall but I am a full grown woman, I think I got enough advantage to help in combat."

"You don't have any weapons though." Jikoko stated as Nella picked her back up.

"Actually I always carry a knife in my pocket. I have to walk everywhere and you never know when someone might attack or something." Nella explained. "Come on Tekiki, I'll carry you on my back. I can run faster than you. Also it doesn't seem like this guy is a big threat if Majiji and Sukuku have held him off this long. I didn't design them to be the apex fighters of the team."

"Except Majiji has ki tactics and shields and Sukuku can't be hurt." Jikoko reminded.

"Oh… right." Nella laughed self consciously. She had almost forgotten those details. "So how does this guy fight?"

"We don't know. We only fought his ship before crashing here." Tekiki answered from Nella's shoulder.

"Wow I really am running into this blind." Nella felt her determination sink as she tried to keep pace and run to the fight.

"For being our so called 'creator' you really don't think things through huh?" Tekiki teased.

"I usually take a lot more time to think over the details. You think I just post the first draft? Heckin not!" Nella huffed, slowly losing breath from the increased pace. "I still got things I haven't even written let alone posted cause I'm still mulling over how it plays out."

"Well you should really start deciding on a strategy." said Tekiki.

_She's right. I'm being so stupid. I got excited to help Jikoko and the others. Excited to be useful and more than just a nerd who created nerd ocs. This isn't fictional anymore, I could seriously get hurt. But I still don't want to let them go in without help._

Nella felt her heart beating louder and louder as she ran. Her mind whirled with ideas. One idea stood over the rest and although it made her cringe just a little she hoped it would work. _I know I can't expect it to work but it's not like events from the show were dire. It was always comedic and light… and no matter how dumb the idea it worked out in the end._

"Take this left here. It's right around there." Jikoko announced as she pointed around a pizza shop.

"The bridge?" Nella ran towards the bridge. It covered a river that ran through the whole town. She glanced around but only saw normal traffic and some kids at the ice cream shop. "I don't see them and we've left the quiet residential area. Now there's people everywhere."

"The locator says they're over there. Even Yasusu is showing up." Jikoko replied.

"Oh… duh." Nella wanted to hit her head as she approached the bridge and dashed down a stairwell right beside it. "I almost forgot the area underneath. There's a couple shops and like one apartment building but usually almost no one is down here."

"Woah like two bridges over each other?" said Tekiki. "Bridgeception."

It wasn't long after that they heard blasts. The sounds of struggle and combat were slowly ebbing away.

"They're getting further away!" Nella ran to the other end and followed the sounds onto a train track devoid of anyone except for the hebinian and 3 keronians fighting it out. "Oh awesome there shouldn't be any trouble or attention here."

"Alright!" Tekiki leapt from Nella's shoulder and summoned a giant axe from a dimensional pocket. She landed eagerly and lunged into battle instantly spotting Sukuku taking a stab at the green snake with his spear. "Hiya! I'm back hope you didn't have too much trouble without me!"

"I just hope you stayed _out_ of trouble before we could find you." Sukuku replied as he stepped back, giving her ample room to attack in her favorite style; wildly.

A pastel pink frog dressed in a business suit spotted the girl carrying Jikoko. She dashed over to them leaving the combat to Yasusu, Sukuku, and Tekiki but keeping an eye on them. "Who's this? Jikoko I hope you're alright after the crash."

"I'm just fine thank you. I'm sorry it took so long for me to find you." Jikoko almost sunk into Nella's arms. "This is Nella. She helped me find everyone. I'm sure I'd be even more lost if she didn't find me."

"She didn't get all freaked out over aliens?" The pink frog questioned.

"Long story, I can run you through it later." Nella set Jikoko down before extending a hand in greeting. "Majiji right? I didn't think I'd see you in a business suit."

"Oh, my uh…. Friend suggested I should try out new styles cause I think I might be outgrowing the whole fancy princess thing. I do feel weird in pants though." Majiji explained.

"Friend? This wouldn't happen to be a cute chick who dresses more like pinup?" Nella asked.

"Well, yes. So you know her?" Majiji asked as blush colored her cheeks.

"Yeah well not as well as you do but I've had her on my mind every now and then." Nella winked. She had an idea for a couple new characters for a while and one was to be Majiji's girlfriend. That is if she ever finished redesigning the poor frog. "Ji, just what kind of things can Sukuku build exactly?"

"You mean right now? He doesn't have access to the best resources here but your planet isn't totally devoid of technology he can use. It's really hard to say." Jikoko answered. "Shouldn't you know better than me?"

"I'm not caught up to where you guys are. You've become more independent than my Jikoko and Yasusu was not holding back any anger earlier. My Yasu is still struggling with the basic emotions and smiling. I know Sukuku's better at robotics and can work from scrap but I won't know of recent breakthroughs or skills." Nella explained.

"He'll give any request a try." said Majiji.

Nella nodded. Finally she took in the details of combat before her. Even being teamed up 3 to 1 the hebinian held his own despite his obvious fatigue. He wore a yellow jacket with sleeves rolled up and a deeper more brown yellow pants. His red eyes were quick to turn to each enemy surrounding him, deciphering who would strike next. Nella was right that he wouldn't be bigger than her but he was bearing guns. Not an easy target and really not a scenario she should just run into no matter how much she wanted to help.

Jikoko stepped closer to Nella, almost wanting to hide. She spoke in a whisper. "I recognize the symbol on his jacket."

"Hm? What symbol?" Nella asked. She looked harder at the snakes gear and saw what Jikoko spoke of. An image of a star slashed in half on the back of the jacket.

"The…. Other snake…. He had it too." Jikoko was near burying herself in Nella's leg has she struggled to speak. Memories from her childhood resurfaced, forcing her to relive her worst nightmare. The night she lost her parents.

Nella snuck a glance at Majiji checking to see if she overheard Jikoko but she showed no sign of interest to them. With how Jikoko shuddered Nella knew just which snake she was talking about. If the others still didn't know about Jikoko's past she wasn't about to out her. "Majiji I need you to switch in for Sukuku. I need his help for something."

"Alright." Majiji charged in with a few ki attacks to the snakes face. Her blasts were strong and yet she moved with such elegance.

"Well I envy her." Nella sighed.

Majiji quickly signaled to Sukuku while the hebinian was distracted by the blasts. Sukuku swiftly left the combat and approached Nella with his spear over his shoulder. "Who are you?"

"Story time later. I need you to build a thing if you can." said Nella.

"We're in the middle of a fight. I'll entertain you later." Sukuku huffed as he turned away.

"I can use it to restrain the hebinian and-" Nella started.

"He's only got a few shots left to his guns and we've worn him down this whole time. Sorry you made it a little late to the combat." Sukuku interupted.

"He looks like he's holding up fine to me." Nella argued.

"To you. Those of us who have trained and been in battles before can recognize that he's breaking down quickly compared to the last couple of hours." Sukuku replied.

"Suku..." Jikoko spoke up. "I don't think I can fight him."

"What?" Sukuku asked. "Why no-"

"I can't explain it but… I can't go against him. I'm not strong enough for that right now." Jikoko winced fearing Sukuku would view her weak and useless. "Please help Nella so she can fight in my place."

Sukuku stared quietly for moments before sighing. "Alright. What do you want me to build?"

"I wondered if you could recreate this pen." Nella pulled out her phone and showed him a few pictures and video clips of Saburo's reality pen.

Sukuku tensed when he saw the symbol on the device. "I will not!"

"Please Sukuku. It's extremely useful." Nella tried to reason.

"I would rather-!" Sukuku shouted as his grip on his spear tightened.

"I know!" Nella cut him off before he could finish. She feared what he would say. "I know it's _his _device and that I'm asking way too much from you right now when you just met me. But this is a weapon I can use well."

Sukuku quietly snatched the phone and looked over more images. "I'm not sure how much you know but you must swear never to bring up him or his tech again. I'll build you a pen. I can borrow some pieces from the ship."

"Thank you." Nella nodded in agreement to the terms. She already felt bad about bringing up the idea before she even asked. She picked Jikoko back up and started running to the ship. Sukuku sent a quick signal to Majiji before following.

It wasn't a long distance since they didn't need to weave down different roads as they did when searching for the others. They came upon the crash site to find the smoke and fires had died down. Sukuku stabbed his spear into the ground and crawled inside while Nella and Jikoko waited outside.

"You didn't have to bring me along." Jikoko spoke as she huddled into Nella's arms.

"I certainly wasn't going to leave you back there when you couldn't fight." Nella assured in a soft comforting tone. "So he had the same symbol?"

Jikoko nodded. "Mhm. It's used by those against Keronians. It represents the destruction of the Keronian star. I mean we have many enemies but this kind of group is extreme. One of the worst."

"So the attack on your parents… wasn't just any attack but a hate crime? Just because they were Keronians?" Nella asked as her voice hushed quiet enough only for her and Jikoko.

"Not really. That's how it was covered up to look like." Jikoko explained. "My dad worked for the Keronian army but not as a soldier like most. He handled ships and mechanics. He discovered something while cleaning one of the patrol ships. The Hebinian that killed my parents kept talking about it. Saying it was all my dad's fault. I don't really know what it was or what it was supposed to do but I know that if he didn't find it or it wasn't left there they would still be fine."

"Oh crapbaskets." Nella felt her mind buzz with this information. "So a hit maybe? It's possible that this time… What mission were you guys on before you were attacked?"

"Just a simple delivery to a platoon led by a higher ranked officer. We're still not approved for most missions too far beyond a border set around Keron." Jikoko explained.

"I thought Sukuku mentioned other battles." Nella replied.

"He did but they've all basically been accidental and not related to missions." Said Jikoko.

"What were you delivering?" Nella asked.

"A small box holding a gift. Although most mail and packages are handled by a separate group within the army, one of the platoon's members is really close with a higher up and was just recently promoted so we handled it directly from one to the other instead of letting it get mixed with the package system." Jikoko understood the train of thought Nella was trying to follow but already went through this when she was hiding in the bushes earlier and couldn't find the connection. "It was delivered before the attack and successful mission. I don't think this Hebinian attacked us because of the package."

"You've set it up to make him seem like a part of some huge super secret space gang that doesn't act unless for a bigger cause. If I were writing a story like this he definitely would have attacked for _some_ reason. You also said that your parents story was covered up to look like any other fight between Hebinians and Keronians. So it seems like this group is known by the army but not the public, like some big government secret." Nella rambled as she spoke her thoughts. "I don't think it's coincidence that this guy went after you guys and even followed you to another universe."

"I don't think so either..." Jikoko sighed. "I was on a call with my uncle the other night. You know how he was there during the attack of my parents and fought off the Hebinian. I confessed to how much I remembered and knew about that day. He got a little angry and told me not to talk about it again."

"Oh..." Nella hugged Jikoko as she felt her shudder. "Oh no you don't think that..."

"I think I messed up and maybe the call was tapped into." Jikoko whispered. "I didn't consider it until I saw the emblem but I think he's here for me."

Nella was silenced by the possibility. She worried for the tadpole and resolved to do whatever she could to help. She stared at the ship hoping Sukuku would resurface soon. Jikoko fought off the tears as best she could for moments before the metal of the ship shifted and bent.

Sukuku reappeared pushing aside parts of the ship on his exit. Some of his fingers and arms were singed from the hot metal. He shoved something into Nella's hand. "Here's your pen."

"Thank you. I'm sorry about your suit, I didn't think about any damage it would get by asking you to make this." Nella winced as she glanced at the burnt fabric on his arms.

Sukuku's pupils constricted in surprise before returning to normal, his glare turning directly at her. His tone was firm as he spoke. "We are having a conversation later and you _will_ explain yourself. But don't worry about the suit, it was going to happen when I have to repair the ship later anyway."

He began walking away back to the combat, grabbing his spear and resting it on his shoulder. Nella softly chuckled. "I know I should stop mentioning all of his personal weaknesses but I'm the type who apologizes for everything before thinking."

"You too huh?" Jikoko forced a small smile.

Nella followed Sukuku and looked over her new device. It looked like a normal pen with a gear button on the end. _I wonder if he meant to add that as a design to his old insignia or just used a random gear from the ship __to replace a missing button__._ She clicked it a couple times to check that the tip came out smooth._ Unfortunately I don't have time to really test it so I just have to hope it'll do what I need it to._

They arrived just in time to see Tekiki get beaten back and knocked into the dirt and rocks. Sukuku ran forth, spear in hand and poised to strike, standing before Tekiki.

"Thank goodness you're back. He's out of ammo but his guns can do more than shoot." Majiji declared keeping her eyes to the snake. Upon closer inspection Nella noticed his gun had shifted form slightly to represent more of a dense baton that police on earth may use. The main difference were the spiked blades running over the ends.

"I'm far from being beaten. No small platoon of untrained frogs can stop me." The snake spoke his first words. Despite his claim his voice was raspy from heavy breathing and Nella could see him shake slightly from exhaustion.

_He's probably bluffing to see if they'll give up._ Nella could tell Majiji was running low on energy herself but hid it well. Yasusu having joined the fight later on wasn't as tired but was struggling with new bruises and cuts. Tekiki was the same having also just been knocked down.

"Wait here." Nella whispered as she set Jikoko down, hidden in a bush, before joining the others and helping to surround the Hebinian.

"Stay back Pekoponian. This has nothing to do with you. I'm not here to attack your planet or your people." The Hebinian declared.

"Actually this has just about as much to do with me as it does these guys. They're friends of mine and I'm here to help them overcome you." Nella declared. She never had to make any battle one-liners and just prayed she didn't say anything too stupid.

"Bad choice. You're only going to die with them." The Hebinian smirked.

"Maybe but it's my choice to make." Nella fiddled the pen between her fingers. She pulled an old receipt from her pocket and began to doodle on the back. She turned to the copper frog next to her, the only one not winded nor wounded. "Sukuku distract him a bit please."

"Alright." Sukuku nodded before lunging at the snake with his spear. The hebinian easy deflected with his weapons. He lodged the sharp blade of one into Sukuku's stomach, sending him backwards. To his surprise Sukuku quickly returned to his feet and lunged once more, ignoring the cuts to the belly of his suit.

Nella sketched as fast and accurate as she could. _No that would snag on the tracks… he might be able to cut through that before it gets him...OH! _After scrapping a couple receipts and the back of an old shopping list she finalized a design.

"Sukuku back up! I'm ready!" Nella called out.

Sukuku leapt back, giving Nella room for whatever she had in mind. The snake didn't have any time to react before a paper was tossed to his feet. In his distraction smoke instantly puffed around him.

"Aaugghh! What is this?!" The snake banged against the walls with his batons.

The smoke cleared to show the hebinian completely encapsulated in a giant gachapon ball. Nella grinned at her success. "Awesome blossom, it worked!"

"Won't he just break out of that?" Tekiki rubbed her back as she stood up.

"The bottom is a mix of tungsten steel alloy and the top is a strong bullet proof glass. He can't punch, cut, or shoot his way out. I also may have forgotten to draw the rim that allows it to pop open and closed so for now it's completely sealed shut." Nella smiled sheepishly as she pat the red base. "At least I gave it the holes at the top for air."

"I like it. We can interrogate him back on Keron and have him arrested." Majiji sighed, allowing herself to stand a bit more lax.

"Most of us are exhausted from combat. How will we carry it back?" Yasusu asked as he sheathed his swords.

"It's a sphere so it should roll quite easily. Although avoiding attention is going to be a challenge." Nella answered.

"Here." Tekiki removed the spade from her hat and slapped it onto the ball. She turned it upside down activating the anti-barrier. Though Nella and the others could see, there was a shinning outline obscuring the orb from unwanted onlookers. "A couple of us still with barriers can push it while you carry those who can't."

"It's a decent plan but you sacrificed yours just so you wouldn't have to push didn't you?" Sukuku crossed his arms like a dad trying to get his kid to admit stealing an extra snack.

"What? No way. I'm just willing to sacrifice myself getting noticed by other Pekoponians while the rest of you hide in the safety of an anti-barrier. I'm only trying to think about my teammates." Tekiki declared.

"Uh huh sure." Sukuku sarcastically remarked.

"Either way it does make the most sense. We don't want to startle any Pekoponians who might call for any authorities. It will only slow us down." Majiji stated.

"We've only got a few more hours before the weak point in the universes shift to another location." said Sukuku.

"Weak points?" Nella asked. "You can only enter through certain areas?"

"I can break us through anywhere but the areas where the membranes of each universe touches each other uses less energy and is cost efficient." Sukuku explained.

"And they move?" Nella inquired further.

"Yes, because the universes continue to expand it's like bubbles always slowly pushing each other away but they stay clumped in a group." Sukuku went on as he set his spear and Tekiki's axe in a pocket space they used for storage.

"Alright before we get into the stuff I don't understand let's get this ball a-rolling please." Tekiki requested.

"Nella." Jikoko spoke quietly as she slowly approached.

"Don't worry it's alright. He's not going anywhere for a long while except where we roll him off to of course." Nella grinned as she knocked on the glass.

"I _will_ be free of this, pekoponian." The snake threatened as he glared out to the girl.

"I'm sure you will, when the keronian army transfers you to some other restraint or prison." Nella expression settled to a serious nature. She was slightly shaken by the hebinian's cold attitude but she wasn't going to let it break her out in the open where she could be seen. She forced herself to think of other things than his intentions. She picked up Jikoko and Tekiki to carry them as if they were stuffed dolls. "Let's go. The suns going to set soon."

Sukuku, Yasusu, and Majiji pushed the ball in synchronized efforts. Nella led the way to the ship, guiding to a hidden path to the main road above so they wouldn't have to push up stairs. She felt bad for making them push it after such a tiring battle but she was enlisted to act as cover for Jikoko and Tekiki. It also would have looked weird to see her trying to push something no one else could see so she was forced to settle.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help… I froze again." Jikoko frowned, staring at the sidewalk beneath them.

"I think you handled it just fine considering things. You didn't cause a huge scene and freakout or create trouble for the others. You admitted that you couldn't handle the situation and stood aside." Nella replied. _I guess some of my husbands lines are rubbing off on me. He's usually the one to tell me these things when I start talking bad about myself feeling like a useless burden._

After turning down another road and back into the residential area, Nella chanced looking back to check on the others. "My house is closer than the park from here and my husband and roommate won't be home till much later so you can take a break there."

"I'll continue ahead to the ship." Sukuku declared as he let go of the ball and walked faster, passing by the group.

Nella led the others to her house, leaving the huge ball on the porch since it wouldn't fit through the door. Majiji and Tekiki happily relaxed on the couch. Jikoko slowly approached Yasusu's side as he stretched his arms and shoulders. He turned to see her sulking expression and without saying anything patted her head. She smiled up to him softly knowing what he was saying through the small action and trying to get her to feel better about staying out of the combat.

Rummaging through the kitchen Nella tried to find food for everyone, especially since they all probably haven't eaten since before noon, but couldn't locate anything substantial as she hadn't done any food shopping in over a week. She returned to the living room rubbing her neck nervously. "I don't have much except for a few bananas, sorry."

"That's alright. We're already more than thankful for the shelter and help earlier." Majiji smiled brightly. Her hands folded over her lap as she straightened up sitting properly.

"I haven't napped on anything this soft since Keron~" Tekiki hummed happily as she stretched out over the couch.

Nella chuckled. _The couch isn't even that soft. If she knew what my bed is like she might never leave._

Jikoko took a deep breath and attempted to stand taller. She summoned her medic gun and a kit box. "O-ok I'll look over everyone's health status and treat any wounds and bruises."

The whole scene made Nella smile. Jikoko applied healing spray and bandages on Yasusu's arms. Ice packs were rested over bruises on Tekiki's back and Majiji received salve for her hands to counter any damage from handling the concentrated energy of her ki. _She might not always be able to help in combat or such but I hope she remembers she's trained for the after battle stuff. __I should go check on Sukuku, see if he needs anything for the ship. He also did want to talk to me and I really should explain._

"I'll be back guys. Hang out here for a while, there's youtube on the xbox if you get bored." Nella gestured to the large tv and xbox against the wall.

"I'll come with you." Majiji stood to her feet and straightened her suit. "I am leader of this platoon and really should get an update on the progress of the ship."

Nella nodded and headed out. The walk was quiet as the sun cast light over the sky in pinks and purples. Nella felt slightly odd walking with Majiji. She was almost a last minute addition to round out the platoon and enlist a leader. She never really settled on her design and always felt like it needed tweaking but it was like coding bugs in a game. Fix one and more would pop up. As time went on Nella liked the whole princess design less and less.

_I guess I could ask her more or less what she's really like. Maybe I can finally figure her out._

"So… You don't wear dresses anymore or are you entirely changing taste?" Nella asked.

Majiji seemed surprised by the question but soon smiled and answered. "I still wear some dresses but they are different from my old ones. I have caught on so far as to where you somehow know all five of us right? Even our histories and habits."

"Mmm. I do." Nella admitted. "I created these characters that are practically clones of you guys. I have no idea how I got so accurate to you all since for me, you guys weren't real. I never knew you actually existed in any way other than my art. From my perspective I created you guys out of thin air."

"I know of no way for you to have heard about us between the universe barrier and you certainly don't have the means to even travel between them so I entirely believe you." Majiji explained. "So you know about my new… companion, and my old style. You probably know about my sister?"

"Yep. She was actually designed by my friend tho." Nella replied before pausing. "I just realized I'm not the only one now. Oh gravy the others totally exist too. Hirere, Xero, Miruru..."

"You mean my sister's platoon? Yes they're real as well." Majiji chuckled. "Although I can't guarantee much more than them. I guess you're wondering why I'm not all dressed up huh?"

"Well yes but you don't have to tell me anything you don't wish to. You are your own person of course." Nella tried to calm her mind. She would love to hear about their stories from them but she knew these weren't just her creations anymore. These were real living people with their own lives and secrets.

"You know of my… challenges?" Majiji rubbed her lower back.

Nella's heart stopped. She almost forgot Majiji's dark secret. It wasn't something she could explain to others so easily with how it might trigger others. It was a sensitive subject, not just for Majiji. "Yes."

"Well Yubibi… uh my friend, found out about it. She was angry at first but then she sat down and listened. I told her why I did it." Majiji blushed, thinking about a memory. One Nella wasn't aware of but she could almost guess. "She started suggesting all these things like dressing different and trying new things. She'd get me to compliment myself and I started to feel different. I think because of the childhood I had I of course wanted a better life for me but I put myself to extreme standards that no one would be able to do. The old princess me was just a way to feel like I wasn't poor or worthless. I realized I was killing myself with it. The short of it is that she's helping me redefine my thinking and myself. So new clothes. Sorry I went on a bit there."

Nella smiled softly as she thought about Majiji's story. "I hope you two have a long and happy relationship."

Majiji's face almost completely flushed a deep red. "M-me too."

"Now let's go check in on Sukuku to get you back home to her." said Nella. The two jogged the last bend of sidewalk to the park. The ship was still nestled on the grass but parts of it had been propped up by Sukuku's spear, allowing room for a pair of tiny copper colored legs to stick out. "Sukuku? You under the ship?"

"Yes." Sukuku's voice echoed from under the metal. "I needed to check one of the engines."

"Is it repairable in time for tonight?" Majiji inquired.

"Yes Ma'am." Sukuku replied a soft grunt followed as a clang rang out. "I located the Hebinian craft in a field across the river so I'm using pieces from it to repair ours."

"Crafty. I like it." Nella sat on the grass. It was the first time she really sat since she and Jikoko left to find the others and it was a more than welcomed feeling.

"Alright, while we're here and not going anywhere yet. Explain as precisely as you can why you know things about me. Tell me just what you know while you're at it." Sukuku demanded.

"Oh um… in front of Majiji too?" Nella asked. She wasn't sure how much the other knew.

"Yes. She's already up to date on everything." Sukuku crawled out from under the ship. He sat up and cleaned a wrench he had been using on the leg of his suit.

"Alright, so …." Nella took a breath to try and smooth out what she was going to say. "Before you guys crashed into this universe today, you were all just fictional characters to me. I had created you in my mind one day. Just a project for a show I watch to try character building instead of always writing fictional stories with already existing characters. I have absolutely no clue how I designed them so accurately to you guys.

I know about your accident years ago, why you wear a cloth suit to pad up your physique and more or less allow you to look normal. I know who you studied under.. although I almost didn't go that route since he's one of the characters from the show."

"Oh sure he get's a show. Not surprising with his ego really I should have expected it." Sukuku huffed. "Continue."

"If it helps he's not the main character. Um oh, Tekiki learned of your secret and she showed how 'into' you she is. As far as I know you two aren't exactly a 'couple' couple but you have moments together." Nella went on trying not to say certain terms that might upset him like his mentors name. "I wasn't sure if Majiji or Yasusu knew about you but I'm going to take a guess at the first time you fell through the universes and saw alternate yous?"

"Correct. It was impossible to really hide it with him walking around without a suit. Although Yasusu started picking up on it when we tested one of my machines. Hard to keep secrets from someone who's strong enough to turn off his own emotions." Sukuku explained.

"Right the fusion accident." Nella recalled to the time she drew what it would look like if Sukuku and Yasusu fused to one body and wanted to include it as part of the story.

"Also the simulation." Sukuku added.

Nella nodded thinking of the event she planned out where Sukuku programmed a training simulation and everyone was plugged in to test it out. The program itself started recording and building versions of them that focused too heavily on their flaws and secrets. Creating evil versions of them that Nella dubbed the antis.

"I guess there is a Keron in this world and even versions of us but they're all fictional entertainment versions." Sukuku sighed. "I had this classmate once that thought of this stupid theory. He would say in a way everything existed in every universe. If it was real in one it was a story in another. I refused to believe it had any merit or truth but he wins today. Not that I'll ever tell him."

Nella chuckled. "There are some things I don't know though. It seems you guys have lived more adventures than where I am currently writing into my versions. Like I haven't gotten Yasusu to where he is now in his attempts to allow more emotions. Or Majiji's … well she says friend but I know it's more, I haven't even fully designed her here."

"I'm not about to tell you the things I've been up to or anything that's happened to me. You can figure all that out on your own." Sukuku tensed before quickly standing and returning his attention to the ship.

Nella nodded and swallowed a lump in her throat as she blushed. She suddenly realized what could have happened since him and Tekiki started opening up to each other and they certainly weren't appropriate things to just bring up to someone you just met. She coughed once to clear her throat. "Is there uh… anything I can do to help the ship repairs?"

"I'm fine thank you. There isn't much damage to the main components needed to get home. Just patching up most of the walls and structure. Tekiki's going to complain about the a/c not working though." Sukuku replied. He pulled a sheet of metal from inside and started laying over the outer wall.

"Can I at least patch up your suit? I know it got slashed during the fight." Nella requested.

"Already fixed." Sukuku turned with one hand still holding the metal sheet in place. He gestured over the crudely melted fabric. "It's mostly a nylon blend so I can melt tears back together with a small amount of heat in emergencies until I can get back to base and replace it with a new suit."

"You really think about everything huh?" Nella was impressed by his preparation for wearing a suit into missions and even combat.

"As usual, you have things under control I see. Keep me updated on the progress." Majiji saluted before heading back to the house.

"Yes Ma'am." Sukuku saluted in return. He shifted the metal sheet thoughtfully for a moment. The silence building between him and Nella. He closed his eyes and asked the question slowly grinding away at his core. "So… you willingly created those characters with the same stories as us? You… you wanted a monster with a story like mine?"

Nella wasn't expecting such a question and sighed. "Well it started with 'I like halloween stuff I think I'll make a skeleton character' and then the suit since I didn't have the confidence to draw a skeleton all the time. Then I considered how this guy became a skeleton and went 'oooh science accident. This is going to be the tech master of the crew anyways.' It all just started leading from one thing to another, you were actually one of the easier members for me to design and yes, although the backstory is sad and I wouldn't wish for anyone to actually live through it, I thought it made for a good story and a personal challenge. Every character needs something to overcome so they can evolve to better versions of themselves. After everything I'd say you're my second or third favorite character only after my original Jikoko and Yasusu because like Tekiki, I like weird things."

Sukuku didn't move as he processed the explanation. Every time he met someone new his strongest fear would resurface. Being discovered for what he was and then being treated like a monster, outcast from others. From kindness and basic decency. Without turning to her Sukuku responded in a soft tone. "Thank you. I like that there are people like you and Tekiki, who will befriend the weird ones… and treat them like normal people. That's all I wanted to ask."

"Anytime." Nella nodded with a smile. She rose from the grass, rubbing bits of old leaves and dirt from her jeans, and headed home.

Upon her return, Nella discovered all four frogs watching youtube. Sgt. Frog in particular, as she recognized the red frog on screen. "I see you discovered the show I was talking about."

"I refuse to acknowledge how close I resemble the Tamama one." Tekiki glared at Nella, hanging off the front of the couch and watching the tv upside down.

"Yeah I didn't see it till after I finished your design anyway." Nella chuckled. "Besides, think about it like this, I didn't really create you anyway. You just conveniently relate to him in ways, although you're actually pretty different too. You just have to see the whole show."

"These characters are real soldiers in our universe too but they're not as goofy and unsuccessful as this show depicts." Majiji explained. She was rested on the couch beside Tekiki, poised straight and yet somehow looked comfortable. "They're actually heroes in our world for setting up an alliance with Pekopon instead of conquering it."

"Yeah I can see that. They start getting really close to the kids as friends and don't really want to leave earth." Nella chuckled as she sat on the floor beside the gathering. _This is oddly nice, still haven't completely wrapped my head around them being here but __it's cool to hang out with them._

Jikoko rested against Yasusu's side on the floor, blushing slightly as his arm wrapped around her holding her close. Nella stifled a chuckle. _They are even cuter in person oh my sweet muffins! __Though now that I think of it, Yasusu hasn't asked me anything about me knowing stuff. I'm sure Jikoko filled him in. Also he is kind of more the type to accept facts without looking further into it unless ultimately necessary._

The time passed laughing and commenting on the show. The sky outside darkened and, after receiving a call from Sukuku, Nella turned off the tv and lead the group to the park.

"That was fun." Tekiki smirked. "Seeing them on their missions is way cooler than watching the news reports we got at home."

"I liked the shows adaptation of the Corporal." Jikoko admitted.

"Really? He was always angry though." Yasusu asked. He slowed down to keep walking by Jikoko's side. "You're usually not comfortable around angry."

"He wasn't just angry though, he usually had good reason. Also he really loved that pekoponian girl so he has other emotions." Jikoko explained. "To me his anger showed how passionate he was to succeed in his job and at other times to protect her and make her happy."

Jikoko watched Yasusu pinch the space between his eyes, a cue that he was trying to hide and suppress a reaction. She grabbed his hand and gave it a soft squeeze in comfort.

They reached the park spotting the ship powered up and although slightly patchy on the outside seemed to be in good condition. Sukuku exited the ship upon hearing the group.

"I guess you're all leaving now." Nella smiled but felt her heart sink a bit. The chances of seeing them again were practically impossible. She couldn't expect them to pop through the universes whenever they wanted let alone stop by earth every time they did come to this one.

"We greatly appreciate your help. I will arrange for something to return the favor. Anything you'd like to request?" Majiji asked.

"I'm fine, I'm already so glad I got to meet all of you." Nella replied. She was never really good at asking for things or expecting others to go out of their way for her. "If you do ever end up in my area again you're all more than welcome to come say hi if you want."

"Maybe next time we won't have to battle anything and we can just hang out. I'll bring snacks and games." Tekiki suggested already pretty sure she was going to come visit.

"Oh uh… Sukuku." Nella pulled the pen from her pocket. "I'm sure you need this back. It was built from pieces of the ship."

"Keep it. I found replacements in the Hebinian ship. Most planets have access to the same materials and sources so parts are almost completely interchangeable between ships." Sukuku explained. "So you can keep it so long as you don't ask me to recreate his projects again. Just remember it has limited uses since it was rushed and not properly built in my workshop."

"I promise not to. Thank you." Nella nodded. She glanced at the pen before returning it to her pocket.

"Nella, I hope I wasn't too much trouble. I-" Jikoko spoke up softly as the others started boarding the ship. Yasusu however remained by her side.

"She means, thank you for your help." Yasusu pat Jikoko's head.

"Sorry-" Jikoko blushed.

"No, you don't owe me an apology. You were going to start talking down about yourself right?" Yasusu asked.

"So I see you're not just accepting when she says sorry all the time?" Nella asked. She thought to how her version of Yasusu would always just respond with 'it's fine'.

"After she started helping me work on allowing emotions, I noticed how much it bothered me that she didn't see herself as the extremely kind and most important person that she is. I try to remind her that she isn't the burden or complete mess that some others had convinced her." Yasusu answered.

"I have the same problem honestly, but I've been working on it too. I should mention I was proud of her for standing up to me as best she could when I found her. If I didn't know what I do, I probably would have totally surrendered and been terrified of an alien threatening to fire a gun-like weapon." Nella explained.

"Y-you thought I did well?" Jikoko asked, her eyes lit up.

"Mhm. I thought you did very well all day. You were the one taking charge when tracking the others. I just offered faster and safer travel since you didn't have you anti-barrier." Nella affirmed.

Jikoko smiled at the compliment. She took a deep breath and gathered strength to her voice. "You were important today too, you keep saying you were only this or only that. We probably wouldn't have the hebinian perfectly restrained for processing and interrogation if you didn't think of that pen or ball to catch him in."

"You might be right, thank you." Nella's heart warmed. Jikoko was her first character and the most like her. Here she was slowly growing up and becoming a stronger and better person. "Can I take a picture? I want to remember today."

"Hm? Of course. Anything for you." Jikoko replied.

Nella held her phone up as she leaned next to Jikoko. They smiled bright as Nella snapped the photo of them. Then she hugged Jikoko, surprising the small tadpole but earning a light laugh from both. "Maybe one day I can be strong like you."

"I believe you could even get stronger." said Jikoko.

Nella let Jikoko free of the hug and waved. "Stay safe ok?"

"You too, and you can keep doing art if you want. Just promise your Jikoko can stand up to her future enemies." Jikoko waved back.

"I will." Nella agreed.

Jikoko grabbed Yasusu's hand and turned to the ship. They hopped on quickly, the door closing right behind them.

Nella stood back to give plenty of room. The ship's engines burst to life, lifting the craft slowly from the ground. The lights blinked a few times before hovering higher. She waved eagerly and kept her eyes on the ship as it zoomed away through the sky until it too small and far away to be visible. The lights lost amongst the bright stars.

Nella sighed. "I should probably go home. This is when it all starts to feel like a dream."

She looked at the picture on her phone of her and Jikoko. She smiled happily before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh sweet froggy crap I should have called Rue. I bet she would have had questions about her own characters. I'll message her soon as I get home. She'll think I'm crazy but she shouldn't miss out on this story."

Nella ran home, the darkness of night sparkling with bright stars overhead. Now she knew for certain. Aliens were truly real and were flying through the galaxies beyond hers. And some universes were lucky enough to have a small platoon of Keronians. Building friendships and having adventures.


End file.
